Acanthocladium from the Greek 'akantha' meaning thorn and 'kladion', from 'klados' meaning a branch; referring to the spine at the end of the branchlets. Dockeri namedafter the Reverend Joseph Docker (1793-1865), who supported and promoted the Burke and Wills expedition.

Distribution:

Found mainly road reserves in the mid-north region of South Australia, growing in grassland or low grassy shrubland. Originally collected from the Riverland but 'presumed extinct' there. Presumed to be extinct in New South Wales. Now considered endemic to South Australia.

Status:

Native. Very rare in South Australia.

Plant description:

Many branching perennial shrub to 50 cm high, covered in spines and white hairs that make the plant appear grey. Flower is a small yellow, rayless daisy at the tip, appearing in winter and spring. Most of the flowers are sterile and so the plant reproduces mainly by suckering.

Fruit type:

Small pale yellow daisy-head.

Seed type:

Small cylindrical brown seeds to 3 mm long and 0.5 mm wide, covered in small transparent warts.

Embryo type:

Spatulate fully developed.

Seed collecting:

This species does not produce a lot of viable seeds. It is usually clonal but some populations do produce seeds. Collect heads that are brown.

Seed cleaning:

Place the heads in a tray for a week to dry. Then rub the heads gently with your hands to dislodge the seeds. Viable seeds will be round and hard. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place.

Seed viability:

Very low seed viability, less than 5% with most plants producing no viable seed.

Seed germination:

Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.

Seeds stored:

Location

No. of seeds(weight grams)

Numberof plants

Datecollected

Collection numberCollection location

Datestored

% Viability

Storagetemperature

BGA MSB

190 (0.08 g)780 (0.32 g)

10

5-Nov-2008

TST631Flinders Ranges

20-Jul-2009

70%

-18°C

Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.